CHILDREN'S BOOK COLLECTION LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY A FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION OF THE EARLIEST KNOWN EDITION WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY COLONEL W. F. PRIDEAUX, C.S.I. LONDON A. H. BULLEN 47 GREAT RUSSELL STREET Edinburgh: T. & A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty INTRODUCTION SEVERAL years ago, when occupied in investi- gating the sources of our traditional songs and ballads, I asked a kind and generous corre- spondent, the late Professor Francis James Child, of Harvard University, if he could afford me any information with regard to the earliest forms in which the old English nursery rhymes crossed the Atlantic. Professor Child, in a letter dated 25th February 1886, wrote to me : ' A collection of nursery songs was made in Boston as early as 1719: Bongs for the Nursery, or Mother Goose's Melodies for Children. A copy was said to have been dis- covered in an old antiquarian library not very long ago, but afterwards could not be found. I meant to reprint this copy it was somewhat imperfect for the good of the world. Mother Goose's Melodies continues to be printed, but no one thinking fidelity of the least conse- quence, books bearing that title are arbitrarily b v vi MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY altered, and filled out from Halliwell. The original collection seems to have been a very small affair, and the smaller the reprints the more chance of genuineness. I have ordered one which used to be sold in Boston, and will send it as soon as it comes to hand.' Professor Child was presumably unable to procure this little book, as I never received it, nor, in the press of work attending the preparation of his monumental collection of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, was he able to carry out the task of giving to the world his contemplated treatise on the litera- ture of the nursery. In this particular his mantle fell upon the late Mr. William H. Whitmore of Boston, the eminent antiquary and genealogist. Mr. Whitmore devoted him- self assiduously to the study of the subject, and after some years of diligent inquiry, during which he was successful in acquiring two early American copies of Mother Goose's Melody, he published a pamphlet in 1889 at Albany, New York, which in 1892 he ampli- fied into a very valuable work, entitled The INTRODUCTION vii Original Mother Goose's Melody, as issued by John Newbery, London, circa 1760 ; Isaiah Thomas, Worcester, circa 1785 ; Monroe & Francis, Boston, circa 1825. This book con- tained an interesting introduction by Mr. Whitmore, in which he traced the history of the little collection with a painstaking minute- ness that left few gleanings for a successor to pick up, together with a facsimile of the earliest known American edition, and a reprint of the New York (1795) edition of Perrault's Tales of "Passed Times. Of the two copies of the little book in the possession of Mr. Whit- more, both of which were printed by Isaiah Thomas of Worcester, Massachusetts, the earlier, which Mr. Whitmore considered on good grounds was dated not later than 1785, had unfortunately lost its title-page, while the other, which was stated to be the third Worcester edition, and was printed in 1799, was deficient in several leaves. 1 1 Notwithstanding these defects, at the auction sale of Mr. Whitmore's books in November 1902, the first copy realised as much as $45, and the second $30. viii MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY Mr. Whitmore's investigations brought to light no evidence whatever of the existence of the supposed edition of 1719. The story seems to have originated in a misunderstanding. A literary man named Crowninshield, who died in 1859, apparently conceived a vague idea that he had seen this volume in the Library of the American Antiquarian Society the 'old antiquarian library' of Professor Child. Amongst his acquaintances, he came across a gentleman of the name of Eliot, who was a great-grandson of Thomas Fleet, a well- known Boston printer, who carried on business between 1712 and 1758, and from whose press the little volume was supposed to have issued. Fleet was the son-in-law of a certain Mrs. Elizabeth Goose, and this fact seems to have established a tradition in the family that this lady was the veritable * Mother Goose ' of the Melodies. Mr. Crowninshield's presumed discovery lent weight to this legend, and the story having been published by Mr. Eliot in The Boston Transcript for January 14, 1860, it rapidly got into currency, and, crossing the INTRODUCTION ix Atlantic, found its way into Notes and Queries (3rd Ser. ix. 265). In The Athenaum for February 26, 1887, Mr. Andrew Lang drew attention to the fact that some one had adver- tised for a copy of the book, and asked any reader of that journal who possessed any knowledge of Mother Goose, or her Songs for the Nursery, to impart his lore. As no information was obtainable, it was assumed that the original work in the Library of the Antiquarian Society had been lost, or mislaid, or possibly destroyed. The fact, however, remains that the library was carefully searched, and that no copy of any such edition was found. Nothing has since been heard of it, and the only safe conclusion is that it never existed, except in the imagination of the sup- posed discoverer. For the authentic history of the genuine Mother Goose's Melody y we have but few materials. The only fact that Mr. Charles Welsh, in his charming book, A Bookseller of the Last Century, was able to ascertain regard- ing it, was that it was entered by Thomas x MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY Carnan, the stepson and one of the successors of John Newbery, at Stationers' Hall on December 28, 1780. But Mr. Welsh in- formed Mr. Whitmore that he thought it probable that 1780, the date of the copyright, was not necessarily that of the first issue of the book, but rather that the copyright was taken out in connection with the winding-up of the co-partnership on Francis Newbery's death. Judging from the style of the book, it seems likely that it was first * produced by John' Newbery about 1765. The book being merely a collection of nursery rhymes, to which a selection of Shakespeare's lyrics was added, the question of authorship hardly arises, but it would be interesting if the identity of the writer of the preface and the footnotes could be established. Mr. Welsh and Mr. Whitmore are of opinion that in these additions to the rhymes the hand of Goldsmith may be traced. There is no doubt that between 1762 and 1768 he was constantly employed in hack-work for John Newbery, in addition to the more important INTRODUCTION xi works for which Newbery acted as publisher. Mr. Whitmore points out that Goldsmith was fond of children, and was familiar with nursery rhymes and games. Forster, in his Life of Goldsmith, quotes a letter of Miss Hawkins, in which she says : ' I little thought what I should have to boast, when Goldsmith taught me to play Jack and Jill, by two bits of paper on his fingers/ And a more curious piece of evidence is noted by Mr. Whitmore. On January 29, 1768, Goldsmith's play of The Good Natured Man was produced. The reception it met with was discouraging, and Goldsmith had some trouble to conceal his disappointment. He had supper with some of his set, and Johnson told Mrs. Thrale that to impress his friends still more forcibly with an idea of his magnanimity, he even sung his favourite song, which he never consented to sing but on special occasions, about An Old Woman tossed in a Blanket seventeen times as high as the Moon, and was altogether very noisy and loud. Now, as Mr. Whitmore points out, the reader will find this identical * favourite xii MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY song ' at page vii of the preface to Mother Goose's Melody, dragged in without any excuse, but evidently because it was familiar to the writer. It is difficult not to concede some force to this coincidence. The title of the little song-book was doubt- less borrowed from the more familiar Mother Goose's Tales. The date of Newbery's first edition of these Tales is unknown, but Mr. Charles Welsh shows that the seventh edition was printed May 16, 1777, and that between this date and March 1779, Carnan and New- bery took 1700 out of the 3000 copies printed by Collins of Salisbury. The eighth edition was issued September 4, 1780. The title of the book is merely a translation of Perrault's Contes de ma Mere fOye. Of the origin of this fantastic name nothing can be said with certainty, but in The Athenteum for March 12, 1887, the Countess Martinengo-Cesaresco pointed out the connection between the Contes de ma Commere fOye and other stories with animal eponymi, such as Contes de Teati d'Asnon and Contes de la Cicogne, of which all INTRODUCTION xiii traces except the names seem to be lost. In Melusine for April 1887 (col. 369), there is an interesting extract from Noel du Fail's Propos Rustiques, which describes how Robin Chevet, an old Breton farmer, used to enter- tain his family after supper with old-world tales : 'Et ainsi occupes a diverses besognes, le bonhomme Robin, apres avoir impose silence, commen9oit un beau conte du temps que les bestes parloient : comme le renard desroboit le poisson aux poissoniers ; comme il fit battre le loup aux lavandieres, lorsqu'il apprenoit a pescher, comme le chien et le chat alloient bien loin ; de la corneille qui en chantant perdit son fromage, de Melusine, du loup garou, de cuir d' Annette ; des fes, et que souventes fois parloit a elles, familierement mesme, la vespree, passant par le chemin creux, et qu'il les voyoit danser au branle pres la fontaine de Cormier au son d'une belle veze (cornemuse), couverte de cuir rouge, ce luy estoit avis, car il avoit la vue courte/ xiv MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY The contributor of Melusine, to whom we are indebted for this extract, observed that in some editions of *Propos Rustiques three tales are added to the repertory of Robin Chevet, one of which is 4 le conte de la cicogne.' Looking to the general character of worthy Robin's stories, it seems possible that 'contes de loups ' and ' contes de la cicogne ' were only popular appellations for the fables of a still earlier raconteur, the ubiquitous JEsop. How- ever this may be, it is clear that the names of animals were associated with collections of tales from an early period, and Mr. Lang points out in his edition of Perrault (Oxford, 1888), p. xxiv, that ' Mother Goose' occurs in Loret's La Muse Historique (lettre v., 1 1 Juin, 1650) * Mais le cher motif de leur joye, Comme un conte de la Mere Oye, Se trouvant fabuleux et faux, Us deviendront tous bien penauts.' This anticipates the date of the first collected edition of Perrault's Tales (1697) by nearly fifty years. INTRODUCTION xv Mother Goose and her Tales were not long in crossing the Channel. The earliest editions of the English translation have long passed into limbo. Mr. Austin Dobson informed Mr. Lang that 'an English version, translated by Mr. Samber, printed for J. Pote, was adver- tised in The Monthly Chronicle, March 1729' (Perrault's Tales, p. xxxiv). This was pro- bably the first edition, but no copies are known to exist. Nor have I ever met with a copy of the following edition, the full title of which I give from a contemporary bookseller's catalogue: ' Mother Goose's Stories of Past Times, writ purposely for the Innocent Entertainment of Children, and yet are so contrived by the Author, that not only Children, but those of Maturity have found in them uncommon Pleasure and Delight : As an Instance of which, the famous Perault [j/V] was so taken with them that he made the Morals to them himself, knowing they tended to the In- couragement of Virtue, and the Depression of xvi MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY Vice; the former of which is ever rewarded in them, and the latter ever punished. ' N.'B. This Book has met with such uncommon Encouragement in the French Tongue, that Ten Thousand could hardly satisfy the Call there has been for them ; nor has the English Bookseller Reason to com- plain, the Second Edition being almost sold. It is likewise to be had in French and English, at 2s. 6d., and in English only for is. 6d., adorned with Cuts.' The translation of Robert Samber seems to have long retained its popularity, as an edition, called the seventh, was printed by J. Rivington, New York, in 1795. Like its predecessors, it contained the English and French versions on opposite pages. I have little doubt that the ' Morals ' which Perrault tagged on to his stories gave the idea to the compiler of Mother Goose s Melody of append- ing the footnotes to the rhymes, in some of which one is inclined to see some trace of the INTRODUCTION xvii wise and kindly humour which studs the pages of the immortal Vicar. When Mr. Whitmore published his book in 1892, he noted that the English editions of Mother Goose's Melody had practically dis- appeared, not even Mr. Welsh, the historian of the house in St. Paul's Churchyard, having been able to see an example of Newbery's print. The rarity of early children's books exceeds that of a Coverdale Bible or a first folio Shakespeare. A short time ago, however, Mr. Bertram Dobell, an assiduous and culti- vated literary miner, was fortunate enough to disinter the copy from which the following facsimile has been made. It is in beautiful condition, in the original Dutch paper wrappers, and as fresh as when it left the dealer's counter, forming in this respect a contrast to the American exemplars which fetched high prices at Mr.Whitmore's sale. No edition is specified on the title-page, but it may be presumed that many had been issued before 1791, not one of which, so far as our present knowledge extends, has survived. Francis Power, the publisher, xviii MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY was a son of Mr. Michael Power, a Spanish merchant, who in 1766 married Mary, the eldest child and only daughter of John Newbery. Under her father's will, Mary Power became entitled to a fourth share in his publications, together with other contingent advantages. Very few books bear the name of her son Francis, and he seems to have been engaged in the active business of a publisher for a short time only. A comparison of the little book under review shows that the editions published by Isaiah Thomas at Worcester, Massachusetts, were almost exact facsimiles of the London issues. The pagina- tion is exactly the same, and the arrangement of the matter very nearly so. Variations in italic type and in capital letters con- stitute the only differences. In these small matters, the conservatism of English children seems to have extended to their cousins across the water, and the English nursery song, like the English nursery game, forms part of the eternal heritage of the two kindred races. A facsimile reproduction of the earliest known INTRODUCTION xix collection of the rhymes sung by English children in the eighteenth century, many of which date from a much earlier period, and are really tags of ballads in popular vogue, will therefore, it is hoped, possess some features of interest in the eyes of literary antiquaries. W. F. P. MOTHER. GOOSE's MELODY: O It, Sonnets for the Cradle. IN TWO PARTS. PART I. Contains the moft celebrated Songs and Lullabies of the old Britifh Nurics, calculated to amufe Children and to excite them to Sleep. PART II. Thofe of that fivcet Songftet ami Nurfeof Wit and H amour, "Mafter William Shakelpeare. EMBELLI3 HE D W IT H U T S And llluftrated with NOTES and MAXIM?, HiHorical, PhiloJbphical and Criiical. LONDON: Printed for FRANCIS POWER, (Gvandfbn to the late Mr. J. NKWBERY,) and Co. Ho. 65. St. Paul's Church Yard, 1791. 3 Price Three Pence. ] PREFACE. By a very GREAT WRITER of very LITTLE BOOKS. MUCH might be faid in favour of this colle&ion, but as we have no room for critical difquifitions we (hall only obferve to our readers, that the cuftom of fingingthefe fongs and lullabies to children is of great antiquity : It is even as old as the time of tne ancient "Druids. Carafiacusi King of the Britons, was rocked in his cradle in the ifle of Mona^ now called Anglefea y and tuned to fleepby fome of thefe foporiferous fonnets. As the be# things, however, may be made an ill uie of, fo this kind of compofition has been employed in a fatiricai manner; of which we have a remarkable rnflance fo far back as the reign of Icing Henry the fifth. When that great prince turned his A 3 arms *i PREFACE. rms again ft France, he compofed tlio following march to lead his troops to battle, well knowing that mufick haA often the power of infpiring courage, especially in the mini of good men. Of this his enemies took advantage, PREFACE, vii and, as our happy nation, even at that time, was- never without a faction, fomc of the malecontents adopted the following words to the king's own march, in order to ridicule his ma- jefty, and to fliew the folly and ioa- poflibility of his undertaking. There was an old woman tofs'd in a blanket, Seventeen times as high as the moon ; But where fhe was going no mortal could tell, For under her arm flic carried a broom. Old woman, old woman, old wo- man, faid I ? Whither, ah whither, ah whither fo high ? To fwecp we cobwebs from tktjtyi And Fll le 'with you fy and by* Here the king is re^refented a ? an old woman, engaged in a purfuit the moil abfurd and extravagant imagin- A 4 able; viii PREFACE. able; but when he had routed the whole French army at the battle of Agincourt) taking their king and the flower of their nobility prifoners, and with ten thoufand men only made himfelf mailer of their kingdom ; the very men who had ridiculed him be- fore began to think nothing was too arduous for him to furmount, they therefore cancelled the former fonnet, which they were now amamed of, and fubftituted this in its Head, which you will pleafe to obferve goes to the lame tune* So vaft is the prowefs of Harry the Great, He'll pluck a hair from the pale-fac'cl moon ; Or a lion familiarly take by the tooth, And lead him about as you lead a baboon, All PREFACE. !* All princes and potentates imder the fun, Through fear into corners and holes away run; While nor dangers nor dread his (Vrift progrefs retards, For he deals about kingdoms as we do our cards* When this was fhewn to his majef- ty he fmilingly faid, that folly always dealt in extravagancies, and that knaves fometimes put on the garb of fools to promote in that difguife their own wicked deiigns. " The flattery ** in the laft (fays he) is more in- '* fulting than the impudence of the * firft, and to weak minds might do '* more mifchief; but we have the ** old proverb in our favour : Iftwe ** do not ' Jlatter ourfehes, tfe Jiattery of ( others will never fart**?' Wo x PREFACE. We cannot conclude xvithout ob- ferving, the great j>robahility there is that the cuftom of making Nonfenfe Fcrfes in our fchools was borrowed from this practice among the old Bri tljb nurfes ; they have, indeed, been alwaysthe firft preceptors of the youth of this kingdom, and from them the rudiments of taite and learning are naturally derived. ^ Let none there- fore fpeak irreverently of this antient maternity, as they may be confidered as the great grandmothers of fciencc and knowledge. Motler Mother GOOSEV Melody. A LOVE SONG. THERE was a little Man, Who wooed a little Maid? And he faid, little Maid, will you wed, wed, wed ? I have little more to fay, So will you aye or nay, For the lead faid is foonefc mended, ded, ded. II. Then *a Mat* GOOSE'* II. Then replied the little maid, Little Sir, you've little faid To induce a little maid for to wed, wed, wed; You muft fay a little more, And produce a little ore, E're I make a little print in your bed, bed, bed. III. Then the little man replied, If you'll be my little bride, I'll raife my love notes a little higher, higher, higher; Tho* m.y offers are not meet, Yet my little heart is great, \VIth the little god of love all on fire, fire, fire. IV. Then the little maid replied, Should I be your little bride, Pray Ktkr GO O S E V AfM. 13 Pray what rauft ive have for to ear, eat, eat? Will the flame that you're To rich ia Light a fire in the kitchen, Or the little god of lo\e turn the fpit, fpit, fpit ? V. Then the little man he gh'd, And, fomefav, a little cry'd, For his little heart was big with for- row, borrow, forrow; As I'm your little flave, If the little that I have Be too little, little, we will borrow, borrow, borrow** * He who borrows is another man's (lave, and pawns his honour, his li- berty, and fometimes his nofe for the payment. Learn to live on a little and be independent. Pefcb on Prudence. VI. Then 14 Mother GOOSES Melofy VI. Then the little man fo gent, Made the little maid relent. And fet her little heart a think km, kin, kin. Tlio' his offers were but fmall, She took his little all, She could have but the cat and her Ikin, Ikia, ikui. ir Jfa&r GOOSB ^ DIRGE. LITTLE Betty Winkle fhe had a Pig* It was a little pig not very big; When he was alive heliv'd in clover. But now he's dead aad that's all overs Johnny Winckle he Sat down and cry'd, Betty WhicklefaQ Laid down aad dy'd; 16 Motber GOOSE's Mslofy So there was aa end of one two, and three, Jobmy Windle he, Betty fFindle (lie, And Piggy Wiggle. A dirga is a fong made for the dead ; tut whether this was made for Betty Wtnckle or her pig, is uncertain ; no notice being taken of it by Cam" <&*, or any of the famous Antiqua- rians. Waffs Syiwm of Senfe. **** *** mm Mother GOOSES MM&. 17 SONG. nchers, And dance upon Difli *TMlIPtipon Trenchers, Bawm, fome Bawm : She bid me^read ligfetly, And come again quickly, For fear the young Men fhould do me fome Harm. Yet didn't you fee, Yet didn't you fee, What naughty Tricks they put upon 1 *J B They i8 Matter GOOSED They broke my Pitcher, And fpilt the Water, And hufft my Mother, And chid her Daughter, And kifs'd my Sifter inftead of me. What a fucceflion of misfortunes befell this poor girl ? But the laft circumftance was the mofl afFedling, and might have proved fatal. Winflwf* View of Bath. CROSS GOOSES Mekfy. 19 , draw the latch, Set by the fire and fpin j Take a cup and drink it up, Then call your neighbours in, A common cafe this, to call in our neighbours to rejoice when all the good liquor is gone. B* AMPHIOK'S 20 Mother GOOSE'* SONG Of EXJRYDICE. T WONT be my father's JacV, JL I won't be my father's Gill, I will be thefidler's wife, And have mufic wkenl will. T'other little tune* T'other little tune, Prithee, Love, playme f T'other little tune. Thofe arts are the mod Valuable which are of the greateft u(b. THREE Motlet GOOSE'* THREE wife men ofGoiJjam, They went to fea in a bowlj And if the bowl had been ilronger^ My fong had been longer. It is long enough* Never lament the lofs of what is not worth having- B 3 THERE 22 Mother GOOSE** Melody. "^HERE was an old man, And he had a calf, And that's half; He took him out of the ftall, And put him on the wall, And that's all. Maxiut. Thofe who are given to tell all they know, generally tell more than they know. THERE Mother OOOSE's Mek&y 23 rnr^HERE was an old woman i Liv'd under a hill, She put a moufe in a bag", Andfentittomill: The miller did fwear Bythe point of his knife, He never took toll Of a moufe in his life The only inftanre of a miller re- fujtn^ tall, and for whick the cat lias juft caufe of complaint againft him. Coke upon Littleton. B4 THERE 4 Mather GOOSES Meloity. rpHERE was an old womaa JL Liv'd under a hill, And if (lie isn't gone She lives there ItilL Thi^ is a feli-evldent prapofition, \vhidi is the very eflence of truth. She lived unto the bill, andlfjbtn not gojte/he Jives litre JlilL No-body will prefume to conttadia: this. G&uja* PLATO'* Mother GOOSES Melocly, PLATO'-r SO[G. DING dong bell. The cat is in the well* Who put her in? Little Johnny Greet?* What a naughty boy was that, To drown poor Puny cat. Who never did any harm, And kilPd the mice in his father's barn. Maxim. He that injures one threatens an humfccdt LITTLE TATTLE jLj Sings for his iupper ; Whatfliallheeat? White bread and butter : How will he cut it, Without e'er alcnife > How will he be married, Without e'er a wife ? To be married without a wife is a terrible thing-, and to be married xrith a bad wife is fomething wor f e ; however, a good wife that fings well is the befl mufical inih'Ument in the Mother GfOOSE'j Melofy. 27 SEfaw, Margery Daw, Jacky iliall have a new mailer; Jacty muft have but a penny a day, Becaufe lie caawoikno fatter. It is a mean and fcandalous prac- tice in authors to put notes to things that deferve no notice. Grotiitf GREAT 2 8 Mother GOOSE** Mekfy. GREAT A, little a, Bouncing B j The cat's in the cupboard, Arid ilie cau't fee. Tes, fhe can . fee that you are naughty, and don't jnind your book, SB Mother GOOSES Melody* SE faw, facaradown, Which is the way to town ? One foot up, the other foot down, That is the way to London town. Or to any other town upon the face of the earth. Wktfi/e.* SHOE SHOE tlie colt, Shoe the colti Shoe the wild mare ; Here a nail, There a nail, Yst Ihe goes bare. Ay, ay; drive the nail that will go: that's the way of the world, and is ^ the method pmrfued by all our financiers, politicians, and necro- mancers. IS Mother G O O S E V Melafy. 31 IS %Tm Smith within ? Yes, that he is. Can he fet a fhoe ? Aye, marry two. Here a nail and there a nail, Tick, tack, too. Maxim. Knowledge is a trea- fure, but practice is the key to it. HIGH Moth GO O S E 's Melofy, HIGHdiHdfe diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jump'd over the moon ; The little dog laughed 4 To fee fueh craft, And the difli ran away with the fpoon. It nmftjje a little dog that laug-hM, for a greajt dog would be afliamed to feagh at fuch nonfenfe, RIDE Mother G O O S EV Mehfy. 33 RIDE acockhorfe To BanJwy crofc, To fee what Tommy canlray 3 A penny whhe loaf, A penny white cake,. And a two-penny appfe-pye. There's a good boy, ear up vour pye and hold your tongue 5 for fueace is the figaof wifdom. COCK COCK a doodle doo, My dame has loft her fhoe ; My matter lias loft his fiddle ftick, And knows not what to do. The cock crows us up early in tbemoming, that wemay worlc foroiir bread, and not live upon charity or upon truft: for be *ul>o lives upon charity Jhall le often affronted* and he that I&es ufan truft jlwtt fay double* THERE Mother G O O S E's MeloJy. 3$ THERE was an old man In a velvet coat, He klfs'd a maid And gave her a groat; The groat it was crack'd, And would not go, Ah, oldmanj doyouferveraefo? If die coat be ever fo fine that a fool wears, it is ilili but a fool's cost C z ROUND 36 Mo&er G OOSE'j Melofy. ROUND about, roundabout, Magotty pye ; My Father loves good ale, And fo do 1* Jfada* Evil company makes the good lad, and the bad woifc. GO O S EV Melody. 37 Y^CATand Gill J Went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water j Jack fell down And broke his crown, And Gill came tumbling after. The more better you will live ASUS- 3$ Mother G O O S E'* Melofy. ARISTOTLE'* STORY. THERE were two birds fat on a Stone. Fa, la, la, la, lal, de; One flew away, and then there was one. Fa, la, la, la, lal, de; The other flew after, And then there was none, Fa, la, la, 1% lal, dej And fo the poor Hone Was left all alone, jFa, la, la, la, lal, de; "This may ferve as a chapter of conference in the next new book of logic. Sawmill's Reports Motler GOOSE's Mfojr. 39 MUSH-a-bybaby On the tree top, n the wind blows The cradle will rock ; When the bough breaks The cradle will fall, Down tumbles baby, Cradle and all. This may ferve as a warning to the proud and ambitious, who climb fo high that fchey generally fall at laft* Maxim. Content turns all it touches into gold. C 4 LITTLE 40 Mother G O S E'J LITTLE Jack Homer Sat in a corner, Eating QiCbriftmas pye$ He put in his thumb, And pull'd out a plumb, And what a good boy was L Jack was a boy of excellent tafte, as mould appear by his pulling out a plumb ; it is therefore iuppofed that his father apprenticed him to a mince j)ye-makcr, that he might im- prove his tafte from year to year; no one Handing in to much need of good tafte as a paftry cook. JScntley o& the Sublime and Beautiful* PEASE 'Mother GOOSES Meloty. 41 PE AS E-por ridge hot Peafe-porridge cold, Peafe-porridge in the pot Nine days old, Spell me that in four letters; I will, THAT- The poor are fcldomer fick for s want of food, than the rich are "by the excefs of it. WHO Mother GO O S E'.f WHO comes here ? A grenadier. What do you want ? A pot of beer. Where is your money ? I've forgot. Get you gone Maxim* Intemperance is attended with dif* cafes, andidlenefs with poverty. JACK Motlcr GOOSE'j Mclafy. 43 JACK Sprat Could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean; And fo betwixt them both, They lick'd the platter clean* Maxim, Better to go to bed fupperlefs, than rife in debt. WHAT WHAT care I how black I be, Twenty pounds will marry me; If twenty won't, forty fliall, 1 am my mother's bouncing girl, If we do not flatter ourfelves, the flattery of others would have no effect. TELL Mother GOOSES Melody. 45 TELL tale tit, Your tongue fliall be flit, And all the dogs in our town Shall have a bit. Maxim. Point not at the faults of others with a foul finger. ONE ONE, two, three, Four and five, 1 caught a hare alive; Six, feven, eight, Nine and ten, I let him go again. Maxim. We may be as good as we pleafe, if we pleafe to be good. THREE Mabcr G O O S E's Mclofy 47 A DOLEFUL DITTY. I. THREE children Hiding on the ice Upon a fummer's day, As it fell out they all fell in, The reft they ran away. II. Oh! had thefe children, been at fchool, Or Hiding* on dry ground, Ten thoufand pounds to one penny, They had not then been drown'd. III. Ye 48 Motlxr GOOSE'; III. Ye parents who have children dear. And eke ye that have none, If you would keep them fafe abroad, Pray keep them fafe at home. There is fomething ib melancholy in this ibng, that it has occafioned many people to make water. It is almoft as diuretic as the tune which John the coachman whittles to his PATTY Mother GOOSES MeloHy. 49 PATTY cake, patty cake, Bakers man ; That I will matter, As fad as I can; Prick it, and p^rick it, And mark it with a T, And there will be enough Por Jacty and me. The fureft way to gain our enjfo is to moderate our delires, D WHEN 50 Mother G O O S E > WHEN I was a little boy I had but little wit, 'Tis a long time ago, And I have no more yet $ s Nor ever, ever (hall, Until that I die. For the longer I live, The more fool am ! Maxim* He that will be his own mafter, las often a fool for his fcholar. WHEN Motler GOOSE 9 s Meloft. I. WHEN I was a little lx>y I liv'd by myfelf, And all the bread And cheefe I got I laid upon the flielf; The rats and the mice They made fuch aftrife, That I was forc'd to go to town And buy me a wife. II. The ftreets were fo broad, The lanes were fo narrow, D 2 I was 52 Mother G O O SE 's Melody. I was forc'd to bring my wife home In a wheel-barrow ; The wheel-barrow broke, And my wife had a fall, Farewell Wheel-barrow wife and all* Maxim. Provide againft the worft, and hope for the bell. Omy Mother GOOSES Melody. 53 OMy kitten a kitten, And oh ! my kitten, my deary, Such a fweet pap as this There is not far nor neary ; There we go up, up, up, Here we go down, down, down, Here we go backwards and forwards, And here we go round, round, round. Maxim* Idtenefs hath no advocate, but many friends. D3 THIS THIS pig went to market, That pig ftaid at home ; This pig had roaft meat, That pig had none ; This pig went to the barn-door, And cvy'd week, week, for more. Maxim. If we do not govern our paffions our palTions will govern us. THERE Mother GOOSES McJofy. 55 ALEXANDER'S SONG. THERE was a man of The/fitly, And he was wondrous wife, He jump'd into a quick -fet, hedge, And Icratch'd out both his eyes : And when he faw his eyes were ouf, With all his might and main, He jump'd into another hedge, And fcratch'd them in again. D4 How 56 Mothr GOOSE 1 , How happy it was for the man to fcratch his eyes in again, when they 'were fcratch'd out! But he was a blockhead or he would have kept Tiimfelf out of the hedge, and not been fcratch'd at all. fs new Way to Wifdom. A Long Jfitfcr GOO9EV Jffih*. A Long tail'd pig, of a fliorc tail'd pig, Or a pig without any tailj A ibw pig, or a boar pig, Or a pig with a curling tail* Take hold of the tail and eat off his head; And then you'll be fure the pig-hog is dead. CJESAR' JMtofrr GOOSE'/ MetoJy. SONG. BOW, wow, wow, Whofe dog art thou I Little Tom Tinker's dog, Bow, wow, wow, Tarn Tinker** dog is a very good dog, and an honefter dog than his matter. BAH; Mother GOOSES BAH, bah, black Iheep, Have you any wool ? Yes, marry have I, Three bags full; One for my matter, One for my dame, But none for the little boy Who cries in the lane. Bad habits are eafier conquered to day than to-morrow* ROBW Were two pretty men, They lay in bed 'Till the clock ftruck ten : Then up ftarts Robin. And looks at the iky, Oh! brother Richard^ The fun's very high j You go before With thebottle and ba^, And I will come after Oa little Jack nag- What 6t What lazy rogues were thefe to lie irt bed fo long, I dare fay they have no cloaths to their backs; for Jazi- neft cloaths a. matt with rag** THERE THERE was an old woman, And flie fold puddings and pies* She went to the mill And the daft flew into her eyes : Hot pies, And cold pies to fell, Wherever flie goes You may follow her by the fmell. Maxim, Either fay nothing of the abfenf, or fpcak like a friend. THERE Motler GOOSES MMj. 63 THERE were twp blackbirds Sat upon a hill, The one was nairiM Jack* The other nam'd GMt ^ Tty away Jack, Fly away Gift* Come again y^ck^ Come again GllL Maxim. A bird In the hand is worth two In ttebufli TtlE THE fow came in with a faddle, Thelittlepig rock'd the cradle, The difti jiunp'd a top of the table, To fee the pot vvafli the ladle ; The fpit that flood behind the door Call'd the difhclout dirty whore; Ods-plut, fays the gridiron, Can't ye agree, l*m the head conflable, Bring *em to me. Note* If he a&s as conjdable in this cafe, the cook mult furely l>e the juftice of peace* BOYS Mather G O O S E's Mel*fy 65 BOYS and girls come out to play* The mooa does ihine as bright as dayj Come with a hoop, and come with a call, Come with a good will or not at all. Loofe your fuppeij and loofe your ileep, Come to your playfellows kl tlte ftreet; Up the ladder and down the wall A halfpenny loaf will ferve us all. But 66 Mother GOOSE'* Mekfy. But when the loaf is gone, what will you do ? Thofewho would eat muft work. All -work and ixo jplay makes a dull boy, WERE . 6? WE'RE three brethren out of Spain Come to court your daughter Jane: My daughter yane flie is too young, She has no Jkillin a flattering tongue. Be fhe young, or be flie old, Its for her gold ihe muft be ibid j So fare you well my lady gay* We muft return another day. Maxim. Riches ferve a wife man, and go- vern a fool. E 2 8 Jtthr GOOSSV JK*$i A Logical SONG; or tie CONJU- ROR'S Reafonfor not getting Money. I Would, il I cou'd, If I cou'dn't, how cou'd I ? I cou'dix't, without I cou'd, cou'd I ? Cou'd you, without you cou'd, cou'd ye? Cou'd ye, Cou'd ye? Cou'd you, without you cou'd; cou'd ye? Nets G S E's MeloJy. 69 Note. This is anew way of handling an old argument, faid to be invented by a famous fenator; but it has f^ae- thing in. it of Gothic conftrudtion. 3 ALE ARK- A LEARNED SONG* ERE'sA, B, andC, D, E, E, and G, I, K, L, M, N, O. P, Q, , S, T, and U, X, Y, and Z. And here's the child's dad, Who is fagacious and difcernin^j And knows this is the fount of Jeau> ittv O0O8BV Kfc, 71 This is the moft learned ditty ia the world: for indeed there is no fong can be made without the aid of this, it being \h&gajmtt and ground- work of them all. Mope's Geography of the Mind. 4 A SEASON- 72 Mailer GOOSES IZdcfy. A SEASONABLE SONG. PIPING .hot, fmoaYmgliot, What Pve got, You have nor, Hot grey peafe, "hot, hot, hot; Hot grey peafe hot. There is more mufic in this fong, on a cold froity night, than ever the Syrens were poffeiied of, who capti- vated Ulyffc3\ and the effe&s itick clofer to the ribs. Hvggkjordon. Hunger. Metier GOOSES MsloJj. 73 DICKEllY, dickery, dock, The moufe ran up the clock; The clock (truck one, The moufe ran down, Dickery, dickery dock. Maxim. Time flays for no man, MOTHER GOOSE's MELODY, P A R T II. CONTAINING THE LULLABIES of Skakefieare. 76 Mother G O S E 's MeloiTy. WHERE the bee fucks, there fuck I, In a cowllip's bell I lie : There I couch, when owls do cry, On the bat's back I do fly, After fummer, merrily. Merrily, merrily fhall I live now, Under the bloflbm that hangs on the bough. YOU Mother GOOSES MAofy 77 YOU fpottcd fnakes, with dou- ble tongue \ Thorny hedge hogs be not feen ; Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong; Come not near our fairy queen* Philomel, with melody, Sing in your fweet lullaby ; Lulla, lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby. Never harm, nor fpell, nor charm, Come our lovely lady nigh ; So good night, with lullaby. TAKE, ?S Mother GOOSE'* TAKE, oh ! take tliofe lips away, That fofweetly were for-fworn ; And thofe eyes, the break of day, Lights that do miflead the morn : But my kifles bring again, Seals of love ? but feal'd in vain. SPRING Mbtkr GOOSES Wo$. 79 SPRING. WHEN daifespied, and violets blue, And lady-finocks all iilver-white 5 And cuckow-buds of yellow hue. Do paint the meadows with delight : The cuckow then on every tree, Mocks married men, for thus lings he ; Cuckow ! Cuckow! cuckow! O word of fear, Unpleafing to a married ear ! When fhepherds pipe on oaten llraws. And merry larks are plough-men's clocks : When turtles tread, and rooks and daws, And maiden's bleach their fummer fmocks ; The cuckow then on every tree, Mocks married men, for thus lings he 5 Cuckow ! Cuckow ! cuckow ! O word o fear, Unpleafing to a married ear. 8o Wtbtr GOOSES WINTER. WHEN icicles hang on the wall, And Dick the fhepherd blows his nail ; And Tom hears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail: When blood is nipt, and ways be foul, Then nightly fings the Hanng owl, Tu-whit! to-whoOj A merry note, While greafy Joan doth keel the pot. When all around the wind doth blow, And coughing drowns the parfon's faw; And birds fit brooding in the fnow, And Marian* nofe looks red and * raw; When When roa&ed crabs hifs in the bowl, Then nightly fings the flaring owl, Tu-whit! To-whoo! A merry note, While greafy Joan doth keel the jx>t, TELL 8a Motlxr GOOSES TELL me where is fancy bred, Or in the heart or in the head ? How begot, how nourifhed ? Reply, reply. It is engendered in the eyes, With gazing fed, and fancy die In the cradle where it lies ; Let us all ring fancy's kaell f Ding, done, bell; Ding, dons, bell. UNDER T TNDER the greenwood tree, VJ Who loves to lie with .me, And tune his merry note, Unto the fweet bird*s throat: Come hither, come hither, come hither. Here ihali he fee No enemy, But winter and rough weather. WHO 84 Mother GOOSES WHO doth ambition ihun, And loves to lie i'th'fun, Seeking the food he eats, And pleas'd with what he gets ; Come hither, come hither, come hither; Herefhallhefee No enemy, But winter and rough weather* If it do come to pafs That any man turn afs ; Leaving his wealth and cafe, A ftubborn will to pleafe, Due ad me, due ad me, due ad me; Herefhallheiee Grofs fools, And if he will come to me. BLOW Mother GOOSE'sMtbfy B$ BLOW, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not fo unkind As man's ingratitude : Thy tooth is not fo keen, Becaufe thou art not feen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh ho ! fing, heigh ho ! unto the green holty ! Moil friendfhip is feigning ; moft lov- ing mere folly. Then heigh ho, the holly ! This life is moft jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter Iky, That doft not bite fo nigh, As benefits forgot : Tho* thou the waters warp, Thy fHnfif is not fofliarp As friend remember'd not. Heigh ho! fing, &c. OMU- 86 Motto GOOSE'/ OMiftrefs mine, where are you running ? O flay and hear your true love's coming, That can fing both high and low* Trip no further, pretty fweeting, Journey's end in lover's meeting, Every wife man's fon doth know. What is love ? 'tis not hereafter; Prefent mirth has prefent laughter. What's to come, is ftill uniure : In decay there lies no plenty; Then coqiekifs me, fweet and twenty, Youth's a fluff will not endure. WHAT Metier GOOSE'/ MeJofy 87 f T THAT /hall lie have that MUM yV the deer? His leather fkin and horns to wear ; Then Jing him home: take thou no fcora To wear the horn, the horn, the^ horn: It was a crdt ere thou waft born* Thy father's father wore it, And thy father bore it. The horn, the horn, the lufty horn, Is not a thing to laugh to fcorn. WHEN 88 Mother GOOSE'; MdoJy. WHEN daffodils begin tb With, heigh ! the doxy Over the dale; Why then come in the fwect o'th j year, 'Fore the red blood ralns-in the winter pale, The white Iheet bleaching on the hedge, With heigh thefweet bird*, O how they.fing! Doth fet my progging tooth.an edge : For a quart of ale is a difli for a .king. The lark that tirra-ly ni chants, With, hey! with hey! the thrufh and the jay : Are fummer fongs for me and my aunts, WhEe we lay tumblingin the hajTt JOG Metier GOOSJL's Msufy. 89 TOG on, jog on, the foot path way, J And memly hcnt the Ayle-aj A merry heart goes all the day, Your fad tires in amile-a. OSPHEU9 90 Mttfar GOOSSS ORPHEUS with his lute made trees, And the mountain tops that freeze, Bow themfelves when he did ling ; To his mufic, plants and flowers Everrofe, as fun and fhowers There had made a lafting fpring* Ev'ry thing that heard him play, Ev'n the billows of the fea, Hung their heads, and then lay by* 2n fweet mufic is fuch art, Killing care, and grief of heart) fall aileep or hearing die* HARK GOOSE's MelcJy. 92 HARK, hark! the lark at hea- ven's gate fings, And Phcetus 'gins arife, His fteeds to water at thofefprings On chalic'd flowers that lies, And winking may-buds begia To ope their golden eyes, With every thing that pretty bin My lady fvveet arife: Arife, arife. THE 92 Matter GQOSE's THE poor foul fat finging by a fycamore-tree, Her hand on her bofom, her head on her knee, The frefh flr-eams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans, Her foft tears fell from her, and foften'd the Hones ; Sing all a green willow muft be my garland, Let nobody blame him, his fcorn I approve. I call'd my love falfe love, but what faid he then ? If I court more women you'll think of more men* FINIS. NOTES PREFACE, p. vii. There was an old 'woman toss' din a blanket, etc. Mr. Chappell, in his Popular Music of the Olden Time, ii. 571, points out that this nursery rhyme was sung to the air of Lilliburlero. In Mustek's Handmaid^ 1673, according to Halliwell, p. 244, the tune is called Lilliburlero, or Old Woman, whither so high. This air was in vogue so late as 1886. Mr. Frederick E. Sawyer, F.S.A., of Brighton, wrote in Notes and Queries, 7th Ser. i. 153, that the following song was sung at harvest suppers in Sussex to the tune of Lilliburlero : * There was an old woman drawn up in a basket Three or four times as high as the moon, And where she was going I never did ask it, But in her hand she carried a broom. A broom ! a broom ! a broom ! a broom ! That grows on yonder hill, And blows with a yellow blossom, Just like a lemon peel, Just like a lemon peel, my boys, To mix with our English beer, And you shall drink it all up, While we do say, Goliere ! 2 MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY Goliere ! Goliere ! Goliere ! Goliere ! While we do say, Goliere ! And you shall drink it all up, While we do say, Goliere !' This refrain reminds us of the old Goliardic songs, which were not unknown in England, though they were more common in Germany. Of the * old woman ' rhyme there are several variants. According to the version given in Infant Institutes, 1797, p. 15, she was tossed 'nineteen times as high as the moon ' ; Ritson, in his Gammer Carton's Garland, 18 10, p. 8, adheres to what seems to be the original number, ' seventeen,' as given in Mother Gooseys Melody, which it may be noted tallies with that quoted by Goldsmith. 1 Halliwell, p. 89, goes as high as ' nineteen-nine times.' All the older versions agree in stating that a blanket was the medium of the tossing ; later readings have altered this into basket. A great writer of more modern days was not unfamiliar with the rhyme : * Little old vuoman, and ivhither so high ? To sweep the cobwebs out of the sky.' Dickens, Bleak House, chap. viu. 1 See Introduction, p. xi. NOTES 3 P. 1 1 . 'There was a little man, nuho '-wooed a little maid, etc. Another version of this song, which is given in full by Halliwell, p. 224, was printed at the Straw- berry Hill Press in broadside form. It is also printed under the heading of * A New Love Song, By the Poets of Great Britain, 1 in another very scarce children's book, called The Fairing, or. Golden Toy, which was issued by John Newbery about 1760, and Mr. Chappell, in his Popular Music of the Olden Time, ii. 770, says that many half-sheets of it with the music were printed during the eighteenth century. It was sung to an old tune, called, / am the Duke of Norfolk ; or, Pants Steeple, which is given in Playford's Dancing Master, Division Violin, 1685, pp. 2, 18 (Chappell, i. 117). The song of 'The Duke of Norfolk will be found in The Suffolk Garland, 1818, p. 402. It was sung at harvest suppers, when one of the guests was crowned with an inverted pillow, and a jug of ale was presented to him by another of the company, kneel- ing, to the following words : ' I am the Duke of Norfolk, Newly come to Suffolk ; Say, shall I be attended, Or, no, no, no ! 4 MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY Good Duke, be not offended, And you shall be attended, You shall be attended, Now, now, now ! ' The Irish tune of The Cruiskeen Lawn is a modification of the air. P. 25. Ding dong Bell, The Cat is in the Well, etc. A variant of this rhyme is given in Halliwell, p. 98. That writer points out, p. 245, that ' Ding dong Bell ' is the burden of a song in The Tempest, i. 2, and of another in The Merchant of Venice, iii. 2. P. 3 2 . High diddle, diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle, etc. This rhyme may possibly be alluded to in an old blackletter play called A Lamentable tragedy mixed ful of pleasant mirth, conteyning the life of Cambises King of Percia, written by Thomas Pres- ton, and printed by John Allde about the year 1570. It has been reprinted in Hazlitt's edition of Dodsley's Old Plays. On sig. E iv recto (Hazlitt, pp. 235-6) the following dialogue occurs: * King. Me think, mine eares dooth wish the sound of musics harmony 5 NOTES 5 Haer for to play before my grace, in place I would them spy Play at the banquet. Ambidexter. They be at hand Sir with stick and fidle 5 They can play a new daunce called hey-didle-didle.' A variant of the rhyme is given in Miss Jackson's Shropshire Word-Book, p. 323. P. 34. Cock a doodle doo, My Dame has lost her Shoe, etc. Halliwell, p. 99, has extended this rhyme into four stanzas, all of which, but the first, are pro- bably modern. P. 36. Round about, round about, Magotty Pye, etc. Halliwell, p. 104, points out that ' maggot-pie is the original name of the chattering and ominous bird,' and refers to Macbeth, iii. 4, where this word is used : ' Augurs, and understood relations, have By magot-pies, and choughs, and rooks, brought forth The secret'st man of blood.' P. 37. Jack and Gill Went up the Hill, etc. Ritson, in Gammer Gurtons Garland, 1810, p. 20, reads ' a bottle of water.' 6 MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY P. 39. Hush a by Baby On the Tree Top, etc, Ritson, in Gammer Gurtons Garland, 18 10, p. 13, gives a slightly different version : ' Bee baw babby lou, on a tree top, When the wind blows the cradle will rock, When the wind ceases the cradle will fall, Down comes baby and cradle and all.' He says, rather improbably, that the unintelligible words in the first line are a corruption of the French nurse's threat in the fable : He has ! la le loup ! Hush ! there 's the wolf. P. 40. Little Jack Horner Sat in a Corner, etc. These lines form a stanza in an old merriment entitled, The Pleasant History of Jack Horner. Con- taining the witty Tricks and pleasant Pranks he played from his Youth to his riper Years j pleasant and delightful both for Winter and Summer Recrea- tion?- Halliwell, pp. 230-43, has printed the greater part of the history from a copy in the Douce col- lection in the Bodleian Library. P. 47. Three Children sliding on the Ice, etc. These stanzas are adapted from a ballad called 'The Lamentation of a Bad Market ; or, The 1 This title is taken from a copy in the possession of the present writer, with the imprint : London, Printed: tAnd sold by J. Drewry, Bookseller in Derby. NOTES 7 Drownding of Three Children in the Thames,' which seems to have been first published in The Lo'ves of Hero and Leander j A Mock Poem : With Marginall Notes, and other choice Pieces of Drollery, of which the first edition was published in 1651. The ballad was reprinted from the second edition of 1653 by Dr. Rimbault in A Little Book of Songs and Ballads, 1851, p. 187, and with some varia- tions by Halliwell, p. 28, from the later edition of 1662. It was also printed by Mr. Thomson in his Chronicles of London Bridge, 1827, p. 410. It was sung to the tune of Chewy Chase (Chappell, i. 199). P. 5 1 . When Invas a little Boy, Ili^d by myself, etc. A slightly different version is given by Ritson in Gammer Gurtons Garland, p. 26, beginning: * When I was a batchelor, I lived by myself.' This version is followed by Halliwell, p. 22. P. 53. O my Kitten a Kitten, etc. A few variants are given in the version printed by Halliwell, p. 127. P. 55. There e was a Man o/'Thessaly, etc. The variants of this rhyme are numerous. Buchan, in his Ancient Ballads of the North, ii. 154, has * a man in Nineveh, 1 and Halliwell, p. 21, 'a man of Newington.' 8 MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY P. 63. The So--w came in <with a Saddle, etc. Halliwell, p. 186, reads: ' The broom behind the butt Call'd the dish-clout a nasty slut.' P. 64. We > three Brethren out of Spain, etc. This was a popular game-rhyme, and Mrs. Gomme, in her Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland, ii. 257, 455, gives as many as thirty-eight variants. f It has been suggested that this game has for its origin an historical event in the reign of Edward in., whose daughter Jane married a prince of Spain.' The numerous varia- tions in the text, which may be seen in Mrs. Gomme's exhaustive account of the game, suf- ficiently testify to its antiquity. P. 66. Boys and Girls come out to play, etc. A variant of this rhyme is given by Halliwell, p. 143. Mrs. Gomme, in Traditional Games, i. 44, quotes an early version from Useful Transactions in Philosophy, p. 44 : * Boys, boys, come out to play, The moon doth shine as bright as day ; Come with a whoop, come with a call, Come with a goodwill or don't come at all ; Lose your supper and lose your sleep, So come to your playmates in the street.' NOTES 9 It was also current in Scotland (Chambers, Popular Rhymes, p. 152). The tune will be found in Play- ford's Dancing Master, 1728, ii. 138, under the title of Girls and Boys, come out to Play, and in Gay's ballad opera of Polly, 1729, under that of We *<ve cheated the Parson. The words of this last song were written by Dryden, and occur in the fifth act of his opera, King Arthur, 1691. The music, which is said to have been composed by Purcell, will be found in Wit and Mirth j or, Pills to Purge Melancholy, third ed., 1712, p. 223. P. 76. Where the Bee sucks, there suck I, etc. The Tempest, v. i. P. 77. You spotted Snakes, ivith double Tongue, etc. A Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 2. P. 78. Take, oh! take those Lips away, etc. Measure for Measure, iv. i. This song, with an additional stanza, and two slight verbal variations, occurs in Beaumont and Fletcher's The Bloody Brother ; or, Rollo, Duke of Normandy, v. 2. Mr. Robert Bell points out (Songs from the Dramatists, 1855, p. 148) that the origin of both verses may be traced to the fragment Ad Lydiam, ascribed to Cornelius Gallus. The follow- ing are the corresponding passages, which discover a resemblance too close to be accidental : io MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY * Pande, Puella, genas roseas, Perfusas rubro purpureae tyriae. Porrige labra, labra corallina ; Da columbatim mitia basia : Sugis amentis partem animi. * Sinus expansa profert cinnama ; Undique surgunt ex te deliciae. Conde papillas, quae me sauciant Candore, et luxu nivei pectoris.' The following is Fletcher's adaptation of the con- cluding lines : * Hide, oh, hide those hills of snow, Which thy frozen bosom bears, On whose tops the pinks that grow Are yet of those that April wears ! But first set my poor heart free, Bound in those icy chains by thee.' It seems doubtful if Shakespeare's acquaintance with the classics was sufficient to enable him to compose the first stanza of the poem. If Fletcher wrote both, he may have allowed his friend to borrow the lines. On the other hand, in the wit- combats that were carried on at the Mermaid, Jonson, or some other scholar of the party, may have quoted Gallus, and thereby started the idea in Shakespeare's mind, to be afterwards pursued by NOTES n Fletcher. The music of this song was composed by 'Jack Wilson/ the singer, who belonged to the same company of players with Shakespeare, and whose name is given in a stage direction in Much Ado About Nothing, 4to, 1600. P. 79. When Daisies pied, and Violets blue, etc. Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2. P. 8 1. When Icicles hang on the Wall, etc. Love's Labour V Lost, v. 2. P. 83. Tell me where is fancy bred, etc. The Merchant of Venice, iii. 2. P. 84. Under the Greenwood Tree, etc. As You Like It, ii. 5. P. 86. Blow, blow, thou Winter Wind, etc. As You Like It, 11. 7. P. 87. O Mistress mine, where are you running? O stay you here, your true Lo<ve V coming, etc. Twelfth Night, ii. 3. The correct text has : ' O Mistress mine, where are you roaming ? O, stay and hear ; your true Love 's coming.' The music of this song will be found in Chap- pell's Popular Music, i. 209. Mr. Chappell points 12 MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY out that it occurs in both editions of Morley's Consort Lessons, 1599 and 1611, and also in Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book, arranged by Byrd. As it is found in print in 1599, it proves that Twelfth Night was either written in or before that year, or that, in accordance with a then prevailing custom, O Mistress mine was an old song intro- duced into the play. P. 88. What shall he have that killed the Deer, etc. As You Like It, iv. 2. P. 89. When Daffodils begin to "pear, etc. The Winter's Tale, iv. 3. The usual text has peer for 'pear, and pugging for progging in 1. 7. P. 9 1 . Jog on, jog on, the foot path Way, etc. The Winter's Tale, iv. 3. Mother Goose erroneously gives mend for hent, which means to hold or grasp, in the second line. This is probably an old song borrowed by Shake- speare for the occasion. Mr. Chappell in his Popular Music, i. 211, says that the tune is in The Dancing Master from 1650 to 1698, and also in Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book under the name of Hanskin. The song, with two additional stanzas, is in The Antidote against Melancholy, 1661. The following are the added verses : NOTES 13 * Your paltry money-bags of gold What need have we to stare for, When little or nothing soon is told, And we have the less to care for. * Cast care away, let sorrow cease, A fig for melancholy ; Let 's laugh and sing, or, if you please, We '11 frolic with sweet Dolly.' P. 92. Orpheus nvith his Lute made Trees, etc. King Henry nil, in. i. P. 93. Hark, hark! the Lark at Hea^ns Gate sings, etc. Cymbeline, ii. 3. P. 94. The poor Soul sat singing by a Sycamore tree, etc. Othello, iv. 3. The song of Oh! c willo--w, willow, which is in- troduced by Desdemona in a few affecting lines, appears to have been composed in the tragic days of Henry vui. The version adapted by this un- fortunate lady is contained in a manuscript volume of songs preserved in the British Museum (Add. MSS. 15, 117), and probably written at the close of the sixteenth century or the beginning of the seven- teenth. There is a blackletter copy of the song in the Pepys collection called ' A Lover's Complaint, being forsaken of his love,' which has been printed i 4 MOTHER GOOSE'S MELODY by Percy in his Reltques, Series i. Part ii. A ver- sion from the manuscript, which is slightly different from that used by Percy, is printed with the tune in Chappell's Popular Music, i. 206, where all the available information about the song is given. * Willow songs ' were favoured by the dramatists, and a specimen written by John Heywood, a favourite playwright and court musician in the time of Henry vni., will be found in a manuscript which formerly belonged to Mr. Bright, and the contents of which were printed in 1848 by the Shakespeare Society under the editorship of Mr. Halliwell. There is another in an anonymous prose comedy called Sir Gyles Goosecappe, presented by the Children of the Chapel, and printed in 1606. N.B. 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